Why You Can't Travel Forward Through Time
by Sirius Revenge
Summary: Remus Lupin, starring in a short story explaining why you can't travel forward through time with timeturners.


A/N: This is an old one. Another of those pieces written with very little purpose, and containing nothing else but what you see here. In my defense, this was written quite a while ago. Not much defense.

As this is a short story, Remus's feelings are ignored deliberately. This isn't an angsty, dramatic, go-back-in-time fic. Sorry.

**Why You Can't Travel Foreward Through Time - By Sirius Revenge**

The battle at the Department of Mysteries hadn't been a complete loss. While examining the extent of the damage done by the children, Dumbledore nicked a time-turner. It was a special time-turner. It travelled not only backward but foreward as well. Instead of traveling hours, it traveled years for every turn.

Lupin sat at the large kitchen table, staring at that special time-turner. He knew messing with time was dangerous. He knew all the problems it could cause, knew all the warnings and all the reasons not to touch that time-turner. But, he was lonely. And, worst of all, he was bored.

Perhaps it was because of the recent loss, or the fact that Remus was in Grimmuald Place, or that he was going insane being by himself all the time. It didn't really matter, because Remus found himself asking what Sirius would do, no matter what the cause.

Lupin took out a quill and sheet of parchment and wrote:

"James and Lily Potter died on the evening of October 31st, 1981."

He then picked up the time turner, and spun it around.

Quite suddenly, he was feeling very awkward. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that three very shocked Blacks were staring at him. Remus stood up. Regulus was mouthing and pointing at Remus, but Remus backed out of the room, grinning at the astonished Blacks. He waved, then left.

Outside, Remus took a moment to enjoy the sun beating down on London, and the light breeze that filled the grungy street. Then, glancing around, he stuck out his wand.

BANG!

Violently purple and very loud, the Knight Bus stood in front of Remus. A muggle car drove by without noticing. Remus stepped on board, payed the fee (he'd recieved a large sum of the Black's family fortune and had no problems paying the small fee), and took his seat.

The last time Remus had seen the cabin in Godric's Hollow, it had been a pile of charred rubble. Now, Remus couldn't see it at all.

Cursing the Fidelius Charm under his breath, Remus used the time-turner to travel backward seven more days. (How? I don't know, it's not really the point of the story.)

There was the cabin. Remus walked to the backyard, found the spare key under a silly muggle garden gnome, and stepped inside.

"Hello?" came Lily's voice.

Remus left the dark entrance hall for the kitchen. Lily blinked at him, then squinted at him.

"Re-Remus?" she said, backing up slightly. "Are you okay?"

Remus stared at her, confused, until he realized he was suddenly seventeen years older than Lily remembered.

"Err...I have to tell you and James something...err...is he here?"

Lily's expression turned from confused to an odd, closed expression. It had been so long since he'd seen her - Remus couldn't see what she was feeling. Regardless, she nodded and left the room. A moment later, she returned with James on her heels, both of them wearing disconcerted expressions. Lily was now carrying a little baby in her arms.

The baby laughed and clapped his hands together.

The Potters were staring at him. Remus jumped when he noticed and cleared his you...er...sit down?"

They did so, but James soon protested. "What happened, Moony? You looked fine a few minutes ago...?"

"Yeah, well..." Remus was finding this awkward to explain. "I'm not the Moony you saw a few minutes ago, I...."

He stopped when he realized both wands were pointed directly at his heart. In Lily's spare arm, Baby Harry grinned at him, and made sputtering noises, then let out a shriek of joy when Remus smiled. He quickly explained.

"I'm from the future. And, umm... You're going to get attacked...on October 31st. So, you should protect yourselves, okay? I should go."

Remus turned, eager to get back to his own time. The possible outcomes of this weighing on his mind - several of them quite horrible. The Potters sat in shock in their living room, as Remus sped out the door, and turned his time-turner the other way, returning himself to his own, original time.

Remus looked around Grimmauld Place - it looked as it had when he'd left. Dingy and decaying, but like someone had tried to fix it up, and dusted it a bit. He looked down at the table.

There lay a single piece of parchment, with a quill and nearly-empty ink bottle sitting neatly beside. It read:

"James and Lily Potter died on the evening of November 1st, 1981."

A/N: Since you've read the silly thing, could you please review? Thanks!


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